Hurricaneravaged Crandon Park Restaurant Might Be Replaced

By Deserae del Campo
A Key Biscayne restaurant razed after Hurricane Wilma battered it may be replaced by a new restaurant as part of a master plan for Crandon Park that envisions a new look and upgraded marina, a county official says.

Sunday’s on the Bay, once at 5420 Crandon Blvd., "received hurricane damage last year and was declared unsafe by the Miami-Dade Building Department," said Edith Torres, Parks and Recreation Department information officer. The structure was demolished shortly after.

Yet it wasn’t just Wilma that caused the department to declare the building unsafe, Ms. Torres said. "Over the years, the restaurant had deteriorated due to its proximity to saltwater and aging infrastructure."

"It is anticipated that eventually a restaurant will be built on the site in conformance with the Crandon Park Master Plan," she said, "but there is no current time line established."

The county-owned restaurant site was lease to Sundays on the Bay LLC. The parks department is working to vacate that lease, Ms. Torres said.

"The Crandon Park Master Plan details the future use and development of Crandon Park and places limits on the development and use of the Crandon Park lands," she said.

The plan includes landscaping and nature renovations and tennis court, beach, utility and marina improvements.

Work is ongoing on a new Crandon Park Marina at 4000 Crandon Blvd. Officials held a groundbreaking in January.

Marina improvements include a 2,250-square-foot complex housing a dockmaster’s office, bait and tackle shop, restrooms, showers and laundry facility. Staff offices will be on the top floor and the new bait and tackle shop on the first floor.

A planned 1,550-square-foot restroom building is to include showers, changing rooms, and laundry rooms for boaters who dock at the marina.

A 900-square-foot park office that will provide visitor information is also planned for Crandon Park. The site also is to include new cabanas, ballfields, and picnic and shelter areas.